Cafe furniture, billboards and bus shelters are just some of the obstacles blind and partially sighted people face while walking down the street.

Carlisle Mayor Trish Vasey joined a walk in the city centre to highlight some of the obstacles people face.

She donned a set of severely scratched glasses - likened to the worst case of cataracts - on a walk from the station and down Botchergate.

She said: "It was overwhelming walking like that. Imagine fog 10 times deep and that's how I felt. I couldn't see in front of me and I had to totally rely on my guide."

Mrs Vasey took to the streets of the city, with deputy mayoress Elaine Donnelly and councillors Anne Glendinning and Deborah Earl, in yesterday's blindfold walk.

The event is part of a campaign jointly led by the Royal National Institute of Blind People, Guide Dogs and Carlisle Society for the Blind.

The campaign aims to highlight the growing problem of street obstacles such as advertising boards, bins, cars parked on pavements and shared space schemes.

Campaigners have been sharing their experiences and calling on local authorities to sit down with them and create a street charter for their area.

The charter sets out what a council will do to make public spaces easier for blind and partially sighted people to get around and if adopted, would be a public commitment.

Mrs Vasey said: "I would imagine high streets now are a bigger challenge than they used to be with everyone sitting outside having coffees.

"Businesses and catering firms need to work alongside local authorities to raise awareness of this."

Mrs Earl said she was "scared" when she put on her blindfold.

She said: "It's very dark. Please don't take my guide away."

The walk took place in the same week as National Eye Health Week.

Specsavers opticians, which has a branch in the city centre, is warning people about the importance of having regular eye tests.

The alarming new statistics show that one in five people will live with sight loss in their lifetime despite at least half of all cases being avoidable.

Glenn Rowe, director of Specsavers Carlisle, said: "It’s astonishing that so many people are needlessly living with or at risk of sight loss in the UK today. Half of all sight loss cases are preventable – and a simple eye test can be the first step in prevention.

"Our mission together with RNIB is to transform the nation’s eye health through education, awareness and action; we want to reverse these worrying eye health trends that are putting unnecessary pressure on the health service and placing a massive burden on the public purse."